Summertime
by Love2KatieCassidy
Summary: Sunshine and summertime. A Ben and Maria story.
1. Chapter 1

**Summertime**  
 ** _A Ben and Maria story!_**

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

 ** _Sunset Beach, California_**

He fiddled with his tie as he stood in front of the mirror in his private bathroom at The Deep. No matter what he did though, he just could not get it to look right. It was either drooping or just stiff and unnatural as if he were trying too hard.

Ben Evans had never been the nervous type but today he was. Very much so. Not only was his only son graduating from high school tonight, he was going to see... _Her..._ After more than six years. Benjy had always flown up here to see him so it was the first time he would see ... _Her ..._ In the flesh, in all of this time. His belly hummed with anxiety and anticipation. He thought he may need a muscle relaxant or something of the kind to make it through the two hour flight ahead.

"Ben!" A familiar, high-pitched voice called from behind the door. Before he could reply, she was throwing it open, rattling its hinges actually, she flung it so hard.

"Amy, what the devil?" Ben demanded as Amy Nielsen, former trust fund baby and now his personal assistant, strode into the bathroom, not having the grace to even look embarrassed.

"Oh no worries, Ben," Amy said with a wave of her hand. "You're not naked are you?" She pointed out.

"That's quite beside the point," Ben practically snapped. "What are you even doing in here?"

Amy moved over to him and began fixing his tie for him without even being invited to do so. She took a lot of liberties where he was concerned and did it unabashedly so. She had not a humble or apologetic bone in her petite body.

"I was coming to tell you that Bruno is downstairs waiting to take you to the airport," Amy said as she finished fixing his tie and gave it a satisfied flick with her tapered fingers. "All done." She sounded triumphant and he looked in the mirror to see that his tie was well, tied correctly.

"Thank you," Ben said as he walked out of the bathroom with Amy following right behind him. He looked around for his suit jacket and she seemed to know just what he was looking for. She handed it to him. He looked around for his travel intinerary. She said, "It's in your pocket of your jacket." He patted his pocket. Indeed it was there. He never would have guessed when he hired her (out of pity) five months ago that little Miss Blondie would actually turn out to be a decent employee. She was brazen and daring (especially in wearing those skirts of hers that barely covered her er, assets) but she was good at her job. He had asked her about her surprising efficiency once and she had told him that she had managed many of her Daddy's affairs before he "you know, became a skeleton," in her words. She was used to dressing him up and doing things for him because she had done them for her father. It was oddly nice to discover that his perception of her - that she was an empty-headed bimbo - had been wrong to some degree.

"You're all ready to go, Ben," Amy said. She had never and would never call him "Mr. Evans" like every other employee did. "Don't forget to smile and be your charming British self... Knock 'em dead there." She then gave him a firm push towards the door and though he considered yelling at her for that, he resisted. He could only hope when he returned to work in two days that the office was still intact.

XoXoXo  
 **  
** ** _San Diego, California_**

The flight seemed all too brief and yet also seemed to take forever. Ben climbed off his private jet and straightaway found the car Amy had ordered for him idling on the tarmac. He passed his bags to his driver, who introduced himself as "Shamus, just Shamus" and then Ben climbed into the back of the Lincoln town car.

"To your hotel first, Mr. Evans?" Shamus asked in a decidedly accent-less voice. He was disappointingly and thoroughly Americanized, complete with a sticker attached to his rearview mirror that read "Mitt Romney For President". Ben didn't know what to think of that so he simply ignored it.

"No, the graduation starts in -" Ben checked his Cartier watch - "two hours. I want to go to the high school and spend a little time with my son prior to the commencement."

"Okay by me," Shamus said as he pulled into heavy late afternoon traffic. He had Ben's itinerary so he already knew where the high school was located.

Ben tried focusing on his cell phone, his computer, his cufflinks, anything to keep him from letting his thoughts wander too far but it was impossible. She was on his mind, like it or not. She wasn't an unpleasant thought of course (far from it actually) but seeing her again with that husband of hers was bound to stir up some troublesome emotions inside of him. He knew better than to wish for things that could not be - things that he had callously tossed away - and yet, his head never wanted to heed his heart which still hammered her name after all these years.

The drive was, like the plane ride, too short and too long, all at the same time. Before Ben knew it, Shamus was pulling up in front of Grossmont High School where Ben was sure he would find his son anxiously pacing about his Valedictorian speech he had to give today in front of all of his peers and teachers.

"I'll be here when you're done," Shamus promised as he opened the door for Ben and Ben climbed out.

"Thank you," Ben said and walked towards the entrance of the school. Multiple signs led him to the gymnasium. He took a deep breath and then stepped inside. Right away he saw a good two hundred students milling about, all dressed in matching blue caps and gowns. He scanned the room for his son and didn't see him at first. No, instead his eyes found _Her_ like a heat-seeking missile. She was standing in the corner talking to a woman who Ben barely noticed for his eyes were directed at _Her._ She was smiling. She had a beautiful smile. Her chocolate-brown hair was twisted up in a chignon with only a few loose tendrils framing her flawless face. She was still so beautiful. Why did she have to be so damned beautiful?

As if she felt the heat of his gaze, she looked up then and the crowd seemed to melt away as their eyes met across the room. She offered him a smile - a bright one that only wavered for the briefest second. Then she was excusing herself from the other woman's company and slowly moving towards him.

He swallowed hard as she came to a stop in front of him. "Hello, Ben," she said. "I'm so glad you could come tonight."

He nodded as his gaze swept appreciatively over her body clad in a simple black cocktail dress before moving back to meet her stunning eyes. "I wouldn't miss this for the world," Ben said and gave her an impromptu hug. The warmth of her body pressed against his nearly stole the very breath from him. "Maria," he whispered. "Dear Maria..." That was all he could say in that moment. He was so humbled that he could finally touch her again even if only in an innocent embrace.

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Maria and Ben briefly embraced and then she pulled away from him all too soon. He sighed inwardly as he felt the loss of her touch keenly but still he smiled. "You look beautiful," he said, finally finding his voice.

"You don't look half bad yourself, Ben," Maria said. "In fact, in that suit, you look downright dapper." She looked at him earnestly. "I can't believe it's been so long since I've seen you. You haven't changed one bit."

"You have… You've only grown more attractive," Ben said. He knew she would think he was laying it on too thick but he was still marveling at how amazing she looked. Some of her features had softened but she was still beyond gorgeous.

She waved a hand. "Ben, you are flattering me," she said with a little chuckle that was decidedly sweet and yet slightly nervous in tone. "Anyway, how are you?"

"Older," Ben said with a smirk. "Hopefully a bit wiser though I am not entirely sure."

"You've always been wise, Ben," she said. "You're just a good man." She then looked sheepish at having said that aloud. She turned to look around the crowded gymnasium. "Benjy should be here around here somewhere. Teenagers tend to want to steer clear of their parents though in social situations. Maybe he's hiding. Though he's too polite to say so, I think he's a tad bit embarrassed that I teach art here."

Ben shook his head. "I doubt that he feels that way. And when he's off at Tulane this fall, he will miss you dearly."

"I will miss him," Maria said. "I am going to experience what it means to have empty nest syndrome. I can feel it settling in already."

Ben nodded. "Well at least you still have Ross, right?" There he had said the other man's name without even flinching. He watched Maria's face contort though for a moment in a pained expression and he was going to ask her about it when she began gesturing wildly to someone through the crowd. He decided to ask her about it later when and if they got a chance to be alone and talk more.

Benjy spotted them through the crowd and hurried over to them, a beautiful blonde teenage girl trailing after him. He immediately pulled Ben into a quick, tight hug before pulling back. "You came!"

"Of course I came," Ben answered. "I wouldn't miss this day for the world." He then stood back and watched his son for a moment. He looked so much like Ben had at his age. Their eyes were the same color and their hair was a thick, shaggy sable. Benjy was tall and lean too with an angular face but for whatever reason, Ben thought there was a touch of Maria in him too shining through his eyes. He supposed it didn't matter if they weren't biologically related; they were mother and son in every way.

Benjy looked at Ben watching him. "What is it?" he asked with a laugh.

"You look … Very grownup," Ben said. "You must have grown half a foot or more since Christmas."

Benjy waved a hand. "You sound just like Mom. She swears every time she turns around that I've grown another inch." He rolled his eyes but there was humor dancing in them. He then wrapped his arm around the girl with him. "Dad, this is Janelle." Ben understood then that they were dating though Benjy didn't come right out and say so.

Janelle and Ben shook hands and he smiled at the young woman with bright blue eyes. "It's nice to meet you, Janelle," Ben said.

"I feel the same," Janelle gushed. "Junior has told me so much about you."

"'Junior'?" Ben echoed and looked at Benjy questioningly.

Benjy smiled. "That's Janelle's name for me. We both agreed that it sounds more mature than 'Benjy'. I am still getting used to it though."

Ben nodded. It would take a while to get used to it for him as well. Benjy had always been well, Benjy to him. But Ben understood that his son was growing up – that he was already grown up actually – and that he was seeking out his own way in the world. Ben would have to deal with the fact that his only living child was an adult. He wasn't normally sentimental but it was moments like these he wished he got to see Benjy –er, Junior – more often. Fortunately for Ben, Junior would be spending at least half of the summer in Sunset Beach with him. In fact, he was flying back to Sunset Beach with Ben the day after next. Ben looked forward to spending time with him.

"Well, Junior," Ben said pointedly, "are you ready for your speech today?"

Junior nodded. "Yes I am," he said with a smile. "Janelle read it over this morning and said it's –"

"A winner," Janelle enthused.

Ben and Maria smiled knowingly at each other. It seemed their son had found someone who thought he had hung the moon. That was good. Ben wanted his son to be surrounded with love, and friends too. He was a good kid, even if Ben may be biased in believing so.

"So, Dad, are we still on for the summer?" Junior asked.

"Of course," Ben agreed. "I'm looking forward to it."

Maria smiled though it looked forced somehow to Ben. "I am sure you two will have a lot of fun."

"I'm going to miss you, Junior," Janelle said quietly.

"I'll miss him too," Maria said but smiled brighter now. "But thank god we have MySpace, Facebook, text messaging, video conferencing tools …" She was trying to look on the bright side, bless her. Ben didn't know what to say though to alleviate her anxiety so for the moment, he said nothing as Maria and Janelle talked with Junior.

Finally, Junior said to them, "Dad, Mom, Janelle and I have to run. Principal Schumer wants us up there. We are doing a dry-run through of graduation or whatever. We'll catch up to you two after."

"Alright, Benj – Junior," Ben said and they embraced again briefly. Junior squeezed Maria's hand and then he and Janelle were off like a shot, headed towards the makeshift platform.

Maria turned to look at Ben then. "Do you want to take a walk while we wait for the ceremony to start? We've still got a good hour to burn."

Ben nodded. "That would be nice," he said. He wanted to spend as much time with her as he could before that Ross English character showed up. Ben didn't relish seeing him again. He didn't like or trust Ross. And on top of that, if he was honest with himself, there was some part of him that would always think of Maria as his Maria in spite of everything.

Maria and Ben fell naturally into step as they moved towards the gym's back doors. They were soon walking through the double doors and out into what appeared to be a quad. There were some parents and faculty gathered in the schoolyard but it was mostly empty. Ben started to speak when he spotted a colorful mural of a familiar looking pier at sunset and he whistled unexpectedly. "Maria, did you …? It's amazing."

They walked towards the mural painted on a wall outside the gym. Maria shook her head as she ran her fingers over the dry paint. "I wish I could say I did that," Maria said.

"Who … Benjy?" Ben smiled. "I mean Junior?"

Maria nodded, smiling proudly. "It was our son, yes."

"It's beautiful," Ben said. "He inherited his mother's artistic heart, didn't he?" It certainly made a strong case for nurture over nature.

"Yes, but he has his father's brains for business … He charged the school $300 for painting the mural," Maria laughed. "Principal Schumer nearly keeled over when he asked for the money but she finally agreed to pay up when she saw how lovely it was."

"It is lovely," Ben agreed and he stepped back a bit to take in the sight of the whole thing. It was incredibly detailed but his eyes soon found a small sketch in the corner that riveted his attention. It was of a dark-haired couple standing beneath the pier, watching the sunset. The face of the woman was decidedly familiar to him. It was Maria. She was standing beside Ben in the picture, holding his hand.

Just then a memory began to stir in his consciousness…


End file.
